East Frisian Landschaft (Lower Saxony, Germany)

Ostfriesische Landschaft, East Frisia, Ostfriesland

Last modified: 2004-03-06 by santiago dotor
Keywords: lower saxony | niedersachsen | ostfriesische landschaft | east frisian landschaft | east frisia | frisia | ostfriesland | friesland |
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by Marcus Schmöger
Flag adopted 1989

• Description
• Origin of the black-red-blue flag
• Municipal Flags:
  • City of Jever (Stadt Jever)
  • City of Norden (Stadt Norden)
  • City of Papenburg (Stadt Papenburg)
  • Municipality of Saterland (Gemeinde Saterland)
• East Frisian Islands:
  • Baltrum (Gemeinde Baltrum)
  • Borkum (Stadt Borkum)
  • Juist (Gemeinde Juist)
  • Langeoog (Gemeinde Langeoog)
  • Norderney (Stadt Norderney)
  • Spiekeroog (Gemeinde Spiekeroog)
  • Wangerooge (Gemeinde Wangerooge)
• Historical Flags:
  • Principality of East Frisia until 1744 (Fürstentum Ostfriesland)
  • County of Norden (Grafschaft Norden)

See also:

• Other Frisian territories:
  • North Frisia (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)
  • West Frisia (Netherlands)
  • Friesland (Netherlands)
• Higher Communal Associations (Höhere Kommunalverbände, including Landschaften)
• County, Municipal and Island Flags (Lower Saxony / Niedersachsen, Germany)

Other sites:

• Zwischen Borkum und Sylt: Die Wappen und Flaggen der deutschen Watteninseln (From Borkum to Sylt: Coats-of-Arms and Flags of the German 'Mud Islands', German text only) by Hans van Heijningen at Der Flaggenkurier website, images available in a zipped PDF file here

Black over red over blue. East Frisia is now a part of Lower Saxony, but at one time it was an independent state, until 1744. Later it became part of Prussia, then Hannover, then Prussia again. At times it was ruled by France or the Netherlands.

Carl-Heinz Dirks, 12 December 1997

In the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart appears "74. East Frisians (Saterland) - Western Germany". Identical to the image above.

Ivan Sache, 14 September 1999

Only one part of Lower Saxony forms a Höhere Kommunalverband (higher communal association), namely the Ostfriesische Landschaft, mainly due to the fact that for long periods of time Ostfriesland (East Frisia) had a high level of autonomy. The arms used by the Ostfriesische Landschaft is that used traditionally by the County of East Frisia, confirmed in 1678 by the Emperor [an image of the escutcheon alone is available at the International Civic Arms website]. The mantling of the arms provided the basis for the colours of the flag, a horizontal triband of black-red-blue. Although used unofficially by the people as well as probably by the Ostfriesische Landschaft, it was not until 1989, that the flag was legally prescribed in the statutes of the Ostfriesische Landschaft.

Sources:

• Dieter Linder, The "Höhere Kommunalverbände" in Germany, oral presentation during the 19th International Congress of Vexillology at York (23-27 July 2001) (with permission from the author)
• Ostfriesische Landschaft website

Marcus Schmöger, 15 October 2001

The flags of the East Frisian islands are described in van Heijnigen 1998, available online at the Der Flaggenkurier website. There are seven East Frisian islands, from west to east: Borkum, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langeoog, Spiekeroog, Wangerooge. They are all inhabited and form municipalities on their own. Both Borkum and Norderney have the rank of a city (Stadt) whereas the other islands are municipalities (Gemeinden). Borkum belongs to Leer County, Juist, Norderney and Baltrum to Aurich County, Langeoog and Spiekeroog to Wittmund County, and Wangerooge to Friesland County.

Stefan Schwoon, 27 March 2001